1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of a memory card connector, and in particular to a memory card connector with a card-retaining mechanism for preventing the memory card from dropping out of the predetermined position or being ejected abnormally.
2. The Related Art
Digital electronic products, such as digital still camera, MP3 player, cellular phone, etc., are required with larger capacity of storage media to satisfy the demand of digital images and music with higher qualities by the users. In general, the capacities of built-in storage media of digital electronic products are not able to meet the requirement of storage capacities by the users. Accordingly, the flash memory cards with the advantages of small size, large capacities, accessing quickly, and easy to install and carry have become the major storage media in the digital electronic products.
For accessing the flash memory cards, the digital electronic products are equipped with electrical connectors adapted to corresponding flash memory card. Most of the electrical connectors have a foolproof design to prevent the failure of the flash memory cards and the digital electronic products resulted from the wrong insert direction. Some electrical connectors have a mechanism for rejecting the flash memory cards, which keeps the angle of the insertion and rejection identical and prevents the failure of the flash memory cards and the digital electronic products.
The electrical connector with a mechanism to reject memory card has a sliding member which can be slid accompanying the insertion and rejection of the memory card. The electrical connector further comprises a circular guiding groove. The guiding groove keeps the memory card in an insertion state while the memory card inserted to a predetermined position. The guiding groove keeps the memory card in a rejection state when the memory card to a rejection position. The mechanism is so called “push—push” mechanism. The push—push mechanism is mostly set with a guiding pin. The guiding pin makes the sliding member stay in the insertion state or rejection state respectively by the slide and fastening of the guiding pin in the circular guiding groove. The sliding member is required movable relatively to the housing of the electrical connector within the electrical connector. Thus, one end of the guiding pin needs to fix on the sliding member or the housing of the electrical connector (it depends on the whole design of the electrical connector) the other end is moved and retained in the circular guiding groove. The sliding member can be switched between the insertion state and the rejection state by the relative position of the guiding pin in the circular guiding groove. Therefore, the memory card can be stayed in the insertion state or rejection state within the electrical connector.
Nevertheless, the prior electrical connector with a memory card rejecting mechanism has a problem of the abnormal rejection of the memory card. If the memory card is rejected from a predetermined position abnormally, the data in the memory card may be lost and the digital electronic product and the memory card may be damaged. Accordingly, it has become an important issue of preventing the memory card from dropping out of the predetermined position or being ejected abnormally.